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Marco Rubio (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)

In an interview with Mike Allen, Florida Senator Marco Rubio clarified his comments to GQ regarding the age of the universe, telling Allen that: "There is no scientific debate on the age of the earth. I mean, it’s established pretty definitively, it’s at least 4.5 billion years old."

To be honest, I'd encourage you to watch the video. I was impressed - I thought his answer was forthright and interesting. In particular, I appreciated that he stated, "Now for me, actually, when it comes to the age of the earth, there is no conflict. I believe that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And I think that scientific advances have given us insight into when he did it and how he did it, but I still believe God did it."

I'm sure that's going to raise some guff with some more militant atheists out there, but I think that there's a real wisdom in reconciling one's religious faith and the teachings of science. They address two separate fields of inquiry. Science is about logos - the facts about the world we live in. But religion is about mythos - the truths about how we should live in this world.

That said, while I appreciated Rubio's comments, I still take issue with his statement in GQ that "I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow." As a stated in my previous essay about Rubio's remarks, scientific inquiry has a great deal to do with the the economy and the world around us. I'm glad that Rubio, who sits on the Senate Committee for Commerce, Science and Transportation, recognizes the importance of science and doesn't see it as the enemy of his religion. But I'm still concerned that he doesn't understand the connection between scientific inquiry and our future economic growth.

But who knows - perhaps he'll address that later. Frankly, I was really impressed by Rubio's conversation with Allen, which was devoid of the usual evasive pablum you see from politicians handling this issue. I take issue with some of the stuff he says, but his comments indicate a real passion for thinking about different ideas. That's an encouraging sign for a politician.